Cam latch



Aug. 16, 1955 w. w. POTTER CAM LATCH Filed Dec. 27, 1951 /nven for W/Y//am W Poffer Q//LM fforne);

United States Patent Ofice 2,7l5,540 Patented Aug. 16, 1955 CAM LATCH William W. Potter, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Grand Rapids Hardware Company, Grand Rapids, lvlich., a corporatiou of Michigan Application December 27, 1951, Serial No. 263,632

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-241) This invention relates to a novel, simple, practical and eicient latch for holding a closure to an opening in closed position. Such closure may be of many types or characters, for example, a swinging window hinged at its upper edge to be swung downwardly to closed position and securely held and drawn to closed position f by the latch of my invention, or a window to turn about a hinged vertical axis at one Vertical side edge and closed at the opposite edge, the latch being used to latch and retain it closed. There are other places of use, as in hinged box or receptacle top closures, which will occur to those skilled in the art. It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a simple, economically constructed, novel latch which is easily installed and which in service snugly and tightly holds the closure, at the edge portion thereof at which the latch is mounted, in snug closed position.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description taken in connection With the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the latch in closed position, the release position of the latch being indicated in dashed lines.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary somewhat enlarged Vertical section substantially on the plane of line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with the latch in closed holding position, and

Fig. 3 is a like view showing the latch released.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

A sill 1 may have at its outer portion a Vertical shoulder against which the lower edge member 2 of an outwardly swinging window or other similar closure, hinged at its upper end, is adapted to engage When closed. The keeper of the latch is mounted at the upper side and inwardly from such shoulder.

The keeper comprises a fiat plate 3 of metal, permanently secured by screws or other equivalent fastenings to the sill, from which two spaced loops 4 extend upwardly. The plate 3 is cut away at its middle portion at the outer part thereof and the parts left at each side are formed into loops 4, each terminating in a free end horizontal portion 5 which rests against the upper side of the sill. The loops are vertically position-ed having upwardly extending diverging sides integrally connected by a portion generally semi-circular in cross section, as best shown in Fig. 3. Such loops are resilient and are movable bodily outward from their normal position, the end portions 5 moving over the upper surface of the sill 1.

At the inner side of the lower rail 2 of the closure, a fiat plate 6 is attached by screws or the like and at each side of its Vertical median line loops 7 integral with the plate are struck away therefrom. With such loops 7 the movable latching member is pivotally connected.

The latching member, made from a single length of wire rod, has two terminal pintles 8 extending oppositely from each other and insertable through the loops 7 at the adjacent inner ends thereof. The pintles 8 are connected with two short parallel sections 9 at right angles thereto which, at their opposite ends, are integrally joined with two oppositely extended inner sides 10 of an open handle which is completed by ends 11 bent therefrom for a distance and integrally connecting within a continuous inner side 12 of the handle.

Such latch may be turned to upper position, shown in Fig. 3 or the dashed line position in Fig. l, being thereupon disengaged from the loops 4 and the closure freed to be moved to open or partially open position. When the closure is in closed position, as in Fig. 2, swinging the handle from Vertical to horizontal positions, that is, from what is shown in Fig. 3 to that in Fig 2, brings the Sections 10 against the inner sides of the loops 4 first against the upper rounded portions thereof causing said loops to be sprung outwardly until the handle passes them. When the handle has reached the lowermost position in Fig. 2, the loops return toward their original position exerting a force upon the rail 2 which brings it into snug or tight engagement against the shoulder on sill 1.

The structure described is readily manufactured and easily installed at its place of use. It is easily released and is likewise easily brought to its closed operative position, holding the closure securely in snug closed position.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A latch comprisng, a keeper having a fiat base and a plurality of spaced loops at one side of the base extending to a side of and away from the base, generally at right angles thereto, each of said loops having sides integrally connected at one end of each side to the base, said sides diverging away from the base and integrally connected at their other ends by convex curved connecting portions, and a latch member comprisng, a base adapted to be located generally at right angles to said keeper base, and a handle having two oppositely extending pintles pivotally connected to the base with sections integral with said pintles extending therefrom adapted to pass between said loops, and with other sections extending oppositely to each other from said first Sections adapted to ride over said loops and engage with the sides thereof farthest away from the latch base.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, and hand engaging means integral with and connecting said last named Sections for simultaneous operation thereof.

3. A latch comprisng, a keeper and a latch member adapted to releasably connect therewith, said keeper having a base of fiat metal with a slot from one side edge thereof extending toward but short of the opposite side edge located between the ends of the base, the portions of the base at each side of the slot being formed into loops disposed generally at right angles to the plane of the base having sides each connected at one end to the base diverging away from the base, said sides being integrally connected at their other ends by curved connecting portions, and said latch member comprising a fiat metal base plate adapted to be disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the keeper base, and a handle of a length of Wire rod having an outer side, two spaced ends generally at right angles to said outer sides, a section integral with each end parallel to said outer side, said Sections extending toward but short of each other, a second section extendiug at right angles from the inner end of each of the first Sections, said second sections being parallel to each other and a pintle at the free end of each of said second Sections, said pintles extending away from each other, and means on Bergener Feb. 25, 1908 White June 14, 1921 Freelander Dec. 31, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 26,, 1907 Great Britain Mar. 9, 1922 7 

